Jan-Lennard Struff vs Denis Shapovalov Prediction & Betting Tips - St. Petersburg, Russia

Prediction published on 28/10/2021, 09:55  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 28/10/2021 at 10:56 in Tennis Predictions

Denis Shapovalov is the second seed for the St Petersburg Open. He takes on unseeded Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarter finals. The winner faces either fifth seeded Taylor Fritz or John Millman in the last four. Shapovalov is the world number 13 but is yet to win a title this season. The Canadian last reached a semi-final at Wimbledon but has failed to build on that. His last final was in a clay court tournament held in Geneva in May but he didn't beat a top 50 ranked player to get to the final. This week has seen him beat Pablo Andjujar but it was a strange match. He lost the first set 6-2 but then rattled off the next two for the loss of just three games. 

Jan-Lennard Struff has had six previous matches against his opponent and leads 4-2. 2019 was a great year for Struff against Shapovalov as he beat him three times. Another win followed in 2020 but Shapovalov won their most recent match in Dubai, losing just four games. Struff began this week ranked 53rd in the world, a drop of 17 places this year. Before this week he'd lost 26 of his 47 matches this year and had lost five of his last seven. This is his first quarter final since May but has had a return to form this week in St Petersburg. Wins have come against James Duckworth and seventh seeded Alexander Bublik without a set being dropped. This may well be a tight and close match but the preference is for Shapovalov to progress.